Acceptance is a Right, not a Privilege
by marycliZaire
Summary: Blaine is beginning to discover that he won't always be accepted for who he is.
1. It's Always a Surprise

**A/N: This is going to be my first multi-chapter fic. It's less of that, though, and more of drabbles in a series. I have the second one mostly written and the third figured out in my head. Let me know if this one sucks, though, and I won't post the others and further my embarrassment. Until then, I hope you like!**

**Anything you recognize is not mine.**

"Blaine?" asked the older Anderon brother's voice from the other end of Blaine's cell phone.

"C-Coop?" Blaine croaked.

"Oh my god, Blaine," Cooper said, worry radiating through the speaker, "what happened!"

"The, uh, the S-Sadie Hawkins D-Dance was t-tonight and-" Blaine started to explain.

"Where are you now?" Cooper interrupted. "I'm coming."

Blaine could hear rustling on the other end of the line before he answered.

"I'm still at the high s-school," Blaine said, "Spencer's d-d-dad is on h-his way but-"

"Just stay there," Cooper demanded, "I'm on my way." With that, the call dropped so Blaine pocketed his cell phone. As he sat down on the curb, he looked over at his friend to see a bruised lip and blank stare.

"I'm s-so sorry, Spence," Blaine whispered, "I n-never should have asked y-you to c-come tonight."

Spencer continued staring ahead, emotionless. After a minute or so, he opened his mouth and said, in an empty voice, "It's not your fault."

Blaine didn't believe him for a second.

However, before the curly-haired boy could protest, a set of bright headlights came into view and illuminated both boys' faces. They recognized the car as the silver Mercedes that had dropped them off not even three hours ago. The car parked by the curb and immediately Spencer's dad jumped out.

"What happened?" his voice boomed.

"M-Mr. Williams," Blaine said, "this is a-all my f-fault, I never should h-have-"

"Blaine, stop," Spencer scolded, grabbing Blaine's arm. The boy winced at the slight pain.

"Dad," Spencer said, now turning towards his father, "some idiots were offended so they jumped us. I'm okay, but Blaine here tried to play the hero again," he finished, his voice trailing off.

Mr. Williams turned to Blaine before speaking.

"Come here," he beckoned, "let me look at your nose."

Blaine turned to look at the man and quickly felt two hands on either side of his face. He flinched at the coolness of his touch, but relaxed soon after.

"Well you've certainly got a few nice bruises there," Mr. Williams said, "but it looks like your nose is fine. I think you'll be okay."

"What about his arm, Dad?" Spencer asked, concern apparent in his voice.

Blaine shot him a look trying to shut him up.

"What happened to your arm?"

"Nothing."

"That's bull!" Spencer yelled at him. "I'm pretty sure those jerks snapped it, there's no way it bends like that on its own."

At that moment, another set of headlights poured light on the parking lot as a black Mustang pulled up to the curb.

"Is that you dad?" Mr. Williams asked.

"My brother," Blaine clarified as Cooper hopped out of his car and rushed over to his little brother.

Cooper grabbed onto Blaine's shoulders and looked down into his face, searching for signs of damage.

"I'm fine, Coop," Blaine sighed.

"No, he needs to go to the hospital," Mr. Williams spoke up, "I think his arm might be broken."

"Thank you," Cooper nodded at Mr. Williams before turning to Blaine. "Come on, B, let's get you all fixed up and looking pretty again."

Blaine found himself silently thanking whoever would listen that it was too dark to see the blush creeping up his neck and onto his face. Before he followed Cooper to the car, he turned to Spencer and gave his friend a small hug.

"Thanks for being here, Blaine," Spencer whispered into his best friend's ear.

"I'm sorry this happened, Spence."

"It's not your fault, Blaine, okay?"

"Yeah," Blaine said, "okay."

Blaine gave his friend one last tight squeeze before settling himself in Cooper's car and heading to the hospital.


	2. You're Not Going Back, B

**A/N: This received a better response than I expected, so I'm going to try and update this as frequently as I can, but I'm one of those writers that has Chapter 5 done before Chapter 2. I apologize! I hope you like this.**

Blaine hadn't broken his arm, but he did fracture his wrist, although he couldn't remember how that had happened. After the fiasco that was Sunday Night Dinner, he was up in his room finishing a paper for his World Geography class. He was furiously typing away his conclusion when Cooper's voice carried up the stairs.

"Oh, Blainers," he called with a mocking tone, "come give your big brother a kiss good-bye!"

Blaine threw a shoe at his door, causing it shut with a loud slam. Turning back to his computer, he saved his paper for a final time that night and hurriedly sent it to the printer. He didn't believe his dad. He was going to wake up tomorrow and go back to Heritage High and Spencer would be there and he would carry on like he always did. He didn't care about his stupid fractured wrist. Blaine Anderson was not running away. Blaine's paper had finished printing and he was placing it in his folder when he heard a soft knock on his door.

"Go away, Cooper," Blaine grumbled.

"Come on, Blaine," Cooper said, "I'm not leaving until you talk to me."

"I have homework, Coop."

"Blaine-"

"No, Cooper!" Blaine yelled at his door, "I'm not leaving Heritage! I'm not going to some new school in the middle of the semester! I'm going back tomorrow to my friends and I just won't go to any more dances, okay?"

Blaine's door opened then, and Cooper walked in. He sat down on Blaine's bed at looked at his little brother, clenching and unclenching his fists in rage.

"Mom and Dad have already withdrawn you from Heritage," Cooper explained. "This was just the first of an endless line of crap those guys are going to put you through. It's not worth it."

"I don't care about those guys!" Blaine spat. "This wasn't the first, it was like the fiftieth, but I don't care! I like it at Heritage! I like my friends and my classes and even some of my teachers. I like Spencer, but I'm never going to get the chance to tell him that am I? Because you had to go and tell Mom and Dad!"

"And how would you have explained the fractured wrist, B?" Cooper asked. "What? Did Spencer hold you against some lockers when you finally managed to escape the dance and-"

"I would've figured something out," Blaine said, his voice calming down. "That's why I called you, and you know that. You know how they are."

"They're only like that because they love you."

"Do they?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cooper asked, clearly confused and slightly infuriated that his little brother would even ask that.

"Dad hasn't looked me in the eyes since I came out!" Blaine all but yelled. "Mom hasn't talked to me once unless I start the conversation, and she quickly lets it fizzle out. Just because I'm gay it's like I'm not their son anymore. They just put up with me because they know how it would look if they didn't. I'm not dumb, Coop."

"They're just not used to it, yet."

"Really, Cooper?" Blaine asked. "Five months and they're still 'not used to it'? Is that the best you can do?"

When Cooper didn't respond, Blaine started getting various things ready for school the next day. Cooper's eyes followed his little brother around the room. Blaine paused, clearly out of things to prepare, and looked up at Cooper.

"I don't want to go to Dalton, Coop," he sighed.

"Come here," Cooper said, patting the bed for Blaine to come sit next to him. When he did, Cooper pulled Blaine into a tight hug. "I know it's not perfect, but you'll have that whole school wrapped around your finger in a week."

Blaine laughed lightly at that. Cooper was right. Blaine never had trouble making friends, and until he came out he was pretty popular at Heritage.

"Can I tell you a secret, Coop?"

"Anything, B."

"The bullies now? I'm used to them, I can handle them," Blaine explained, "but the kids at Dalton don't know me. I don't know them. What if it's the same, but they throw something new at me? I'm just scared I won't be any better off there." He let out a sob he didn't realize he was holding in, and wrapped his arms around Cooper's body, crying quietly. Cooper began to rub circles on his back in comfort.

"Hey, shh," Cooper hushed, "they're going to love you, Blaine. Zero-tolerance, remember? Nothing bad will happen. Shh, I promise."

Blaine cried for a few more minutes into his brother's shoulder before he finally rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes and dried his tears. He gave Cooper one last, tight squeeze before looking up at his older brother and thanking him.

"Anytime, little brother," Cooper said, "I'll always be here for you."

With that Cooper stood up and walked out. Blaine waited until he heard the front door close and Cooper's Mustang roar to life before he found his cell phone and dialed an all-too familiar number.

Before the first ring was finished, a voice sounded from the other line.

"Hello?"

"Spencer, hey!" Blaine greeted.

"Blaine," Spencer said, sounding breathless, "uh, hi."

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah," he answered. "What's up?"

"Well, I actually called to tell you something kind of important."

"Your dad didn't kick you out, did he?" Spencer asked.

"No!" Blaine said quickly. "He just- I start at Dalton Academy next week."

"W-what?"

"My parents withdrew me from Heritage."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Oh," Spencer said, sounding nervous. "I won't be going back either."

"Wait what?" Blaine asked, obviously surprised. "Where are you going?"

"Do you remember that job offer my mom got in Columbus?" Spencer asked.

"Y-yeah.."

"After Friday," Spencer explained, "she decided she was going to take it. We're moving on Tuesday."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm telling you now, Blaine," Spencer said. Blaine heard some rustling around on the other line and Spencer's name being called. "Hey, I have to go. Mom needs help. I'll talk to you soon?"

"Yeah, sure," Blaine said, "good luck."

"You, too. Bye, Blaine."

With that the call ended and Blaine threw his phone against the wall. He curled himself up on his bed and let the tears fall freely again. He was being forced to leave his school, his home, his friends. He was probably never going to see Spencer again. His parents could barely be in the same room with him without saying he has a problem. The only person Blaine had left was Cooper, and he was hardly ever around. He just wished he had never come out, that none of this had ever happened, that he was happy again. Blaine cried himself to sleep that night, wondering if things would ever get better.

**Reviews are accepted. In fact, they're encouraged!**


	3. The Night Before

**A/N: I've gotten such a positive response from this, it makes my heart swell! You don't know how much this means to me, guys. Thank you.**

**Sorry for such a late update. I've been crazy busy with college this week. I'm on Spring Break, now, though, so hopefully I can update quicker!**

****I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING YOU RECOGNIZE**

It was the night before Blaine's first day at Dalton Academy, and to say he was nervous was putting it lightly. He was terrified. What if nothing was any different than at Heritage? At least there he had friends.

He was pacing his room, making sure he had all of his things; books, papers, a map, and his uniform. He was trying on his blazer for the first time, checking himself out in the mirror. Blaine had never worn a uniform to school in his life, but he had to admit he liked the navy and red.

He had just finished checking everything over when he heard a soft knock on his door. Cooper poked his head in the room, immediately walking over to the frantic boy and engulfing him in a tight hug.

"Don't be nervous, B," Cooper told him, pulling out of the hug and looking down into his little brother's eyes. "You're gonna be fine."

"What if I'm not, though?" Blaine asked. "Nobody ever likes the new kid."

"Blaine, I have never met anybody that hasn't been completely smitten with you."

Blaine mumbled something under his breath.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said you've obviously never me the kids at Heritage, then," Blaine said, his eyes fascinated with the small ink stain on his rug.

"This isn't going to be like Heritage, Blaine," Cooper said, reaching out and placing one hand on Blaine's shoulder. "Zero tolerance, remember?"

Blaine shirked his jacket off, kicking it across the floor.

"That doesn't mean anything," Blaine said, eyes still trained on the floor.

"Blaine."

Blaine's eyes raised to meet his brother's.

"I just-"

"Blaine."

"But what if-"

"Blaine."

"What!" he yelled, his hands flying in the air. "What?"

"Calm down," Cooper instructed him. "I promise you, it's going to be fine. Better than fine! It's going to be great. You're going to have so much fun and make so many friends and learn so much more than you would at Heritage."

"But what if I don't?" Blaine felt himself blinking back a few tears, the fears of what Dalton held creeping up on him again.

"Stop with the 'what ifs' and move on!" his older brother yelled. "Would you rather live a life asking yourself 'what if?' or one where you say 'oh well'?"

"I.." Blaine trailed off, but when Cooper didn't say anything else, "I guess you're right." Blaine looked back down at the floor, shuffling his feet around. "I just want to get it over with, I guess."

"Do you want to stay at my place tonight, B?"

Blaine's head shot up once again, not expecting that at all. He never stayed with Cooper.

"W-what?" he asked, looking confused.

"Do you want to come to my house?" Cooper repeated. "If it will make you less nervous, you can stay with me and I'll take you tomorrow."

"N-no," he stammered, "thank you, though." He smiled up at his big brother before he was pulled into another tight squeeze.

"I love you, B," Cooper said, "don't forget that, alright?"

"Okay," he nodded his head on his brother's shoulder.

"Now," Cooper started, pulling out of the hug and looking down at his little brother again, "I'm going to go back to my place and you're going to stop worrying about this and get some sleep."

"I'll try," Blaine promised.

"Call me if you need me." Cooper turned and walked out of Blaine's room, but not before giving his little brother one last, small hug.

Blaine watched his brother leave, but quickly ran into the hall and called after him.

"Hey, Coop!" Blaine yelled. When his brother turned around, he gave him a small smile and said, "Thank you."

Cooper smiled back, nodding at his little brother and heading out the front door.

Blaine walked back into his room. He had everything ready for school tomorrow, so he climbed in bed and flipped his lamp off. I can do this, I can do this, he repeated, waiting for sleep to overtake him.

**Reviews are accepted, in fact, they're encouraged! And they make me happy and I like to write when I'm happy so…**


	4. Warble On

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to get up! I know I promised to update more frequently this week. I already have the next chapter ready, it just needs to be beta'd. Speaking of, Kat is the best person alive for doing that for me, you should all thank her and follow her on Tumblr at filipinochick91[DOT]tumblr[DOT]com! Well I hope you guys enjoy this one! **

****I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING YOU RECOGNIZE**

Blaine Anderson was officially a student at Dalton Academy. He was not at all thrilled about his parents' decision to pull him out of Heritage, but he was even less excited about beginning at some prep school so close to the end of the year. Blaine didn't want to leave his friends, his classes, and the comfort he found in the familiarity of Heritage. He also knew that he had no say in the matter. Everything about Blaine's life had always been a direct result of a decision that Michael Anderson dictated. Well, almost everything.

Blaine loved to sing. His bright personality and upbeat attitude was fed on the adrenaline he received from performing. At Heritage, he had been in choir and the theatre department, but it was none too exciting. Sure, he got to sing and was able to perform in the Fall production of _The Music Man_, but it wasn't fun for him. The dynamic was too stringy; none of the choir members or cast members were his friends, and nobody ever acknowledged his presence. He was just there.

Blaine Anderson had been at Dalton Academy three weeks before he was approached by his friend David, inviting him to audition for the school's glee club.

"_Hey new kid," Blaine heard one of the other boys call to him at lunch on his second day, "come sit with us."_

_Blaine looked over at the boy addressing him and hesitated._

"_We won't bite," the boy told him, "you just look lonely."_

_Blaine walked over to the table and sat down cautiously, not sure if he was walking into a trap or not._

"_I'm David," the boy said before introducing his friend, "and this is Wes."_

_Wes nodded in Blaine's direction._

"_I'm Blaine," he introduced himself._

"_Dude," David said, "chill, we're not going to like, steal your lunch money or something."_

_Blaine laughed at that. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all.._

"Come on, Blaine," David pressed, "you would be so great."

"How do you know I can even sing?" Blaine asked.

"Dude," David said, "you're not exactly subtle when you prance around school singing girly pop songs."

"I do not _prance_," Blaine said as he lowered his head, his face blushing beet red.

"Oh, you so prance," Wes, David's friend, said as he joined the two boys at the lunch table. "So what are we talking about?"

Blaine shot David a look telling him this conversation was over. He knew Wes was on the court or council or whatever of the Warblers and he didn't need him pressuring him to join, too. David took the hint.

"How Lance keeps leering at Blaine every time he walks by," David mocked. Blaine felt himself flushing red again, and David let out a groan of pain when he felt a shoe collide with his shin. "Sorry, man, I mean every time you _prance_ by." David and Wes both erupted into fits of laughter and Blaine just glared at them both. "Seriously, Blaine," David said, winking at him, "you should go for it."

"So did you finish the work for Williams, Wes?" Blaine asked, not-so-subtly changing the topic.

"Oh," Wes said, "yeah, but I didn't get problem fifty-two."

"Me either," David admitted, "He didn't explain that section very well."

Blaine leaned back in his chair and let the conversation run its natural course, picking up bits and pieces of the finer points.

XXXXX

Blaine had decided by the end of the day that he would audition for the Warblers. He went home that night and shuffled through his iPod, trying to select the perfect audition song. He had heard stories from Wes and David about the Warblers, and knew that they generally sang more popular hits, usually from the last five years.

When he had finally decided on, and perfected, his audition song he sent a quick text to David.

"_When are auditions? –B"_

"_OMG you can come by tomorrow! –D"_

"_Any advice? –B"_

"_No jazz hands ;) –D"_

"_Haha, very funny, David. –B"_

"_Good luck! –D"_

The next day, Blaine was restless in all of his classes. He was on the edge of his seat, waiting for the final bell to ring signaling the time for Warblers practice. He was ready. He had practiced and practiced. He could sing this song in his sleep, backwards and forwards, but that didn't stop him from being nervous.

When the last bell rang, finally signaling the time for Blaine's audition, he made his way to the Senior commons where the Warblers held their meetings. He was early.

Too soon, David walked in and clapped him on the shoulder for good luck, and made his way to sit on one of the couches in the room, leaving Blaine standing awkwardly in the middle.

The rest of the Warblers began filing in, including Wes and that guy, Thad, from his Chemistry class.

"Okay, guys," Wes called to the room of loud boys, "I would like everybody to meet Blaine Anderson."

A series of greetings were thrown Blaine's way as he continued to awkwardly fumble with his hands in the middle of the room.

"He's here to audition for next year," Wes explained. "Blaine, whenever you're ready."

Blaine took a deep, calming breath, before opening his mouth to sing.

_I dance around this empty house_

_Tear us down, throw you out_

_Screaming down the halls_

_Spinning all around and now we fall_

Blaine could feel the tension leaving his body as he began to dance around the room to the beat of the song.

_Pictures framing up the past_

_Your taunting smirk behind the glass_

_This museum full of ash_

_Once a tickle, now a rash_

All eyes were on him, but he didn't let the pressure get to him. He didn't falter once.

He continued through the song, at one point jumping on one of the empty chairs before twirling it around his foot twice. He bounced around the room showing off his full personality, letting these complete strangers into his own head.

_This used to be a Funhouse_

_But now it's full of evil clowns_

_It's time to start the countdown_

_I'm gonna burn it down, down, down_

_I'm gonna burn it down_

Blaine closed the song and the entire room erupted into applause. He heard Wes cheering him from behind a desk and felt David clapping a hand on his back in congratulations. He let out a sigh of relief, having the stress gone and feeling fully accepted for the first time since he had come to Dalton.

XXXXX

"Oh my god, Cooper, guess what!" Blaine all but yelled into the phone as soon as he closed his bedroom door that afternoon.

"Geeze, B," Cooper said, "calm down."

"Coop," Blaine said, obviously forcing himself to steady his voice, "you will never believe this!"

"Alright, spit it out, little brother," Cooper chided him, "I haven't got all day."

"I auditioned for the Warblers!" Blaine squealed.

"Why does this sound like a bad boy band?" Cooper asked.

"Coop, oh my god," Blaine groaned, "just shut up."

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized, "go on and tell me what you're talking about, then."

"My friend David convinced me to audition for the school's glee club," Blaine explained, "and I got in!"

"That's great, B," Cooper said, pride radiating through the phone.

"That's not even the best part, Coop."

"Go on…"

"Wes, that's David's best friend and head of the council, asked me to audition for the lead soloist position for next year!"

"Oh my god, Blaine," Cooper yelled. "That's so awesome, little brother!"

"Cooper," Blaine said, "I'm happy. _So _happy. I have friends, and they _know_, and they don't even care, Coop."

"Have you told Dad yet?"

Blaine knew the question was coming. He also knew that Cooper knew the answer without having to ask. Michael Anderson had never approved of Blaine's singing. _It's a waste of valuable time, Blaine, time you could use on your studies._ Blaine wanted his father's approval, he wanted it badly, but he knew he wouldn't receive it. Not when it came to singing, not when he was performing. He didn't let that hold him back.

"I-" Blaine started, sounding defeated. "There's no point right now. Competition season is over, anyway. This is all for next year."

"You know you're going to have to tell him, right?" the older brother said. "You can't keep hiding things from him."

"I know," Blaine said, sounding so small even over the phone. "Just be happy for me. Let me be happy while it lasts."

"Blaine," Cooper says, "I_am_ happy for you."

"Thanks, Cooper. Look, I better go. Exams are next week and Dalton is kicking my _ass_ compared to Heritage, so I need to study. I just really wanted to tell you."

"Go study, Blaine," Cooper told him, "I'll be here when you want to talk."

"Bye."

Blaine clicked the end button and tossed his phone on his bed, sighing in relief. He was making friends, he was given the chance to sing, and he was happy. It didn't matter if his father approved of his choices, he was going to do this.

**Reviews are accepted. In fact, they're encouraged!**


	5. Introductions

**A/N: I'm glad you all are liking this! I have the next few chapters planned out and I'm not sure how far I'm going to go before I finish it.. **

****I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING YOU RECOGNIZE**

Dalton's classes for the day had finally ended, and Blaine was making his way to the Senior Commons. He was slightly on edge about his upcoming impromptu performance; this was only the third performance with the Warblers Blaine would be involved in, but the first one since being appointed as their lead soloist. It wasn't helping that Mr. Hodge held him back after class to discuss his last paper, making him late to his own concert. He was rushing down the grand staircase in the front hall when he felt a hand touch clutch his shoulder.

"Excuse me," a voice called. He turned around and all worries of being late immediately vanished. Blaine had never seen this face before. Surely he would recognize somebody so beautiful, so angelic. "Uh, can I ask you a question? I'm new here."

Blaine felt his lips curve up into a smile, and reached out a hand to the boy. "My name's Blaine."

"Kurt," he introduced himself. "So what exactly is going on?"

"The Warblers," Blaine explained, "every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the Senior Commons; tends to shut the school down for a while."

"So wait," Kurt said, "the glee club here is kind of _cool_?"

"The Warblers are like rock stars," Blaine exclaimed. "Come on, I know a short cut."

Boldly, Blaine reached out and grabbed the angelic boy's hand, leading him down the hall to the Senior Commons. Blaine didn't release his hold on the other boy until they had reached the packed room. As the other boys started, Blaine smirked at Kurt before excusing himself and taking his position as lead.

He sang his heart out to "Teenage Dream," his eyes never leaving those beautiful blue ones he was introduce to only minutes ago. When the song came to a close, he could feel Wes nudging his shoulder and saw his friend cock his eyebrow in question at the new kid.

He, Wes, and David walked over to him and invited him to join them for coffee, completely unaware of the effect Kurt was about to have on him.

XXX

Cooper Anderson was finally getting to sit down after working all day with a cup of coffee in hand when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out to see he had three new messages from Blaine. He slid his thumb across the screen to unlock it and see what was so important that his baby brother couldn't wait for.

_Cooper, call me when you get off. –B_

_Coop, are you off? –B_

_Cooper! –B_

Just as Cooper was dialing Blaine's number to call him, he felt his phone vibrate again and the room filled with the sound of "Cherry, Cherry" by Neil Diamond.

"Hey, B," Cooper answered, "I was just about to call you."

"Cooper!" his little brother's excited voice burst from the other end of the line.

"What's going on?"

"I have no idea," Blaine admitted.

"Wait," Cooper said, "what's the big emergency? Why did you-," but Blaine quickly cut him off.

"The most beautiful boy came to Dalton today."

"Oh?" Cooper chided, sounding interested. "Do tell."

"He's from McKinley, Coop," Blaine said, "you know that school in Lima?'

"What was he doing all the way in Westerville?" the older brother asked, sounding alarmed.

"Spying on the Warblers," Blaine laughed. "He was very bad at it."

"What gave him away?"

"Well," Blaine said, "the lack of a blazer for one. He was also wearing some knee-length shorts, and knee-high boots, and Dalton doesn't do mid-week tours. You know that."

"Did Wes and David give him a hard time?"

"Nah, they thought it was endearing because he was so obvious."

"What about you, B?" Cooper asked. "What did you think of him?"

"He's beautiful, Coop."

"So you said," Cooper responded, the smirk on his face obvious even through the phone. "Does baby Blainers have a crush?"

"He-," Blaine cut himself off, "I can't. He's going through the same crap I got at Heritage, but he's the only out-gay kid in the school. In the whole town, probably."

"Be his friend," Cooper told him, "be there for him like nobody else was for you. Don't make him do it alone."

"I'm trying," Blaine said. "I gave him my number and he said he'd call."

"Use protection!" Cooper teased.

"Coop, I'm serious," Blaine scolded. "He needs a friend. We can be friends. I can be his friend."

"Sure, little brother," Cooper said, sounding thoroughly unconvinced. "Listen, I have to go. Rough day at work and I reek."

"Thanks for the info," Blaine groaned. "I definitely need play-by-plays on my brother's B.O."

"Anything for you, B!" Cooper teased, hanging up the phone and sitting back against his couch. So his little brother met somebody. Maybe life wasn't going to be horrible for Blaine, after all. Maybe this could change things. Cooper sure hoped so.

**Reviews make me happy!**


	6. Never Been Kissed

**A/N: I'm so sorry it's been so long. I know I said it wouldn't, but then school happened. And I got a job. So..life's been pretty hectic. I know how much it sucks waiting on fanfiction to update, trust me, I know. I'll try and be a bit better at it. **

**Also, this is un-beta'd. And the next chapter probably will be, too. My beta has school, too, so I don't want to overwork her.**

**4:32 pm**

"_Hey! –B"_

**5:06**

"_How did your day go? –B"_

**5:24**

"_Are you okay? –B"_

**5:51**

"_Kurt? Is something wrong? –B"_

**5:52 **

**Incoming Call: Kurt : )**

"Hey!" Blaine called into the phone, "I thought you had forgotten who I was for a second there."

"He kissed me," Kurt said, with no emotion in his voice. He was completely disconnected.

"W-what?" Blaine wasn't entirely sure he had heard that right.

"He kissed me," Kurt repeated himself. "He just grabbed my face and kissed me."

"Who?" Blaine demanded. His blood was boiling with…jealousy?

"Karofsky," Kurt explained. "I did what you told me, I stood up to him and he kissed me."

"In front of everyone?" Blaine asked.

"No," Kurt said, his voice dripping with regret, "he shoved me into a locker before going into the locker rooms, but I got up and followed him. I wanted to know what his problem was. I yelled, he yelled, he threatened me, I said go ahead, and then he just pulled me in and kissed me."

"Oh, gosh, Kurt I am so sorry," Blaine apologized, "I didn't mean for that to-"

"Stop, Blaine," Kurt cut him off, "it wasn't your fault."

"So does that mean he's gay?"

"I think so," Kurt admitted.

"Okay," he responded knowing he would only be fighting a losing battle. "Is there anything anyone can do?"

"This is McKinley, Blaine," Kurt deadpanned.

"Right…"

There was silence on both lines, not awkward, not uncomfortable, just silence. It was Blaine who finally broke it again.

"Are _you _going to do anything?" he asked.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted, "I was thinking of confronting him again, but in a more public place with actual people around."

"Tomorrow," Blaine instructed him, "I'll come. I'll be there. We can do this together."

"Blaine, you don't have to-"

"No, Kurt," Blaine said, "I want to do this. I ran away from my bullies, let me help you face yours."

"I- okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kurt," Blaine said before ending the call.

He laid back on his bed and thought about the event of the coming day. It didn't take long before he was silently freaking out. He had no idea what he would say or how to get through to this guy or what might happen. McKinley obviously looked the other way when it came to bullying, so what if something happened to him? Or what if he just made things worse and something happened to Kurt? He spent the rest of the night debating with himself about what to do before falling asleep still in his blazer.

XXX

The following day, Blaine cut his last class before his lunch period to make the drive to Lima. He tried not to focus on what he was about to do and just pay attention to the road, but that was nearly impossible. Kurt promised to meet him out in the parking lot at the beginning of the lunch period, so when he saw the familiar face he relaxed a bit. He pulled into the only parking space he could find and hopped out of his car.

"Hey," he said to Kurt, pulling the taller boy into a hug. "Has anything happened today?"

"Not yet," Kurt responded, "but there's still time for something, I'm sure."

Kurt began leading Blaine towards the courtyard where most of the school's population would be for lunch. Once they got there, Kurt noticed Karofsky wasn't with the football team. _This is good_, Kurt thought, _he'll probably be alone. _Kurt steered Blaine towards the stairs hoping to catch Karofsky on his way to sit with his teammates.

"Thanks again for coming," Kurt said with a small smile.

"Don't worry about it," Blaine told him, "just let me do the talking."

It was then that Kurt saw a familiar, bulky figure in a red and white letterman jacket descending the stairs.

"There he is," he whispered to Blaine.

"I got your back," Blaine reassured him. "Excuse me," he said to Karofsky.

"Hey lady boys," Karofsky sneered, "is this your boyfriend, Kurt?"

"Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something," Blaine said, hiding behind a very well put together mask of confidence.

"I've gotta go to class," Karofsky said before shoving his way between Kurt and Blaine to try and get passed.

"Kurt told me what you did," Blaine called after him.

"Oh yeah?" Karofsky asked as he turned around to face the pair. "What's that?"

"You kissed me," Kurt said, keeping his voice low.

Karofsky looked around, making sure nobody could hear the conversation. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"It seems like you might be a little confused," Blaine said as Karofsky turned to walk away from them, "and that's totally normal. This is a very hard thing to come to terms with and you should just know that you're not alone."

Before Blaine knew what was happening, he could feel two hands pressing on his chest and his back digging into a cold, metal cage. "Do not mess with me," Karofsky hissed.

Kurt put himself between his friend and his tormentor, pushing them apart. "You have to stop this!"

Karofsky threw them both a look before turning around and stalking off.

"Well he's not coming out anytime soon," Blaine joked.

He turned to see Kurt sitting down on the stairs, pulling his knees in and hugging himself slightly.

"What's going on?" Blaine asked, going to sit down next to Kurt. "Why are you so upset?

"Because until yesterday," Kurt breathed, "I had never been kissed. At least, not one that counted."

Blaine sat there with Kurt for a second, deliberating on what to say next before he settled on, "Come on, I'll buy you lunch." Both boys stood up and Blaine lead the way back to his car.

"Is there anywhere you want to go?" he asked Kurt.

"Anywhere is fine," Kurt replied.

So Blaine drove off, finally settling on the first restaurant he came across, Breadstix.

"Is this okay?" he asked Kurt when he pulled into the parking lot.

"It's going to have to be," Kurt said, "this is the only place in Lima."

Blaine laughed quietly before getting out of the car and swiftly walking around to the passenger's side to open Kurt's door for him.

"After you, sir," he said in a fake British accent, gesturing for Kurt to walk ahead of him into the restaurant. Kurt giggled at that which caused Blaine to smile to himself.

When the boys were seated, they both began perusing the menu until an older woman came to take their drink orders. Kurt ordered water with lemon while Blaine ordered a simple Coke. When she returned with their drinks, they had their orders ready; Blaine ordered the three cheese tortellini and Kurt ordered the spinach lasagna.

"So Kurt," Blaine said, "I know you go to McKinley, I know you are in the glee club, I know you are being tormented by a closeted bully, and I know you have an amazing sense of fashion. What do I not know?"

"Uh," Kurt hesitated, "I don't know. I'm gay."

"You don't say," Blaine said with sarcasm evident.

"What do you want to know?" Kurt asked.

"What's your favorite movie?"

"Pretty in Pink."

"What's your middle name?"

"Elizabeth."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Broadway star."

"What is your favorite color?"

"Really, Blaine?"

"Yes, really," Blaine said, "now what is your favorite color?"

"Black."

"Black doesn't count," Blaine said, "it's the absence of color."

"Actually," Kurt said, "black is a combination of every color."

"No, that's white," Blaine explained, "white light is a combination of every color of light, and black is the absence of light."

"We're not talking about light," Kurt argued, "we're talking about colors."

"But light has color."

"Fine," Kurt said in annoyance, "purple, then."

"I like purple," Blaine said.

"My turn."

"What?" Blaine asked.

"My turn," Kurt explained. "What is _your _favorite color?"

"Red," Blaine said instantly, "easy."

"Middle name?"

"Michael."

"Favorite movie?"

"Pay it Forward."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Peter Pan," Blaine said matter-of-factly.

"That's contradictory," Kurt exclaimed, "Peter Pan never grows up!"

"That's the whole point," Blaine said just as their food arrived.

The pair ate their meal in silence, occasionally looking up from their plates to smile at the boy sitting across from them. When the waitress came back to ask if they wanted the meal on one ticket or two, Kurt fought with Blaine over paying for his share of the food. Blaine won out, saying he invited Kurt to lunch and he would pay. Kurt pouted at this for a minute before realizing how very childish he was being.

"Thank you," he said to Blaine.

"You don't have to thank me," Blaine said, "I told you I would buy you lunch."

"I don't mean for that," Kurt explained, "I mean for being there. I don't have anybody else that I can talk to about this kind of stuff."

"Kurt," Blaine said, reaching over the table to grab Kurt's hand, "you don't ever have to thank me for that."

Kurt just smiled in response. The two boys walked back out to Blaine's car before making the short drive back to McKinley.

XXX

Cooper had just stepped out of the shower when he heard his phone ringing from his bedroom, so he hurried to pick it up.

"Hello?" he answered, sounding breathless.

"Hey, Coop."

_Blaine._

"Hey, little B," Cooper greeted him, "what's up?"

"We're just friends."

"Actually I thought we were brothers," Cooper joked.

"No," Blaine said, "me and Kurt. We're just friends."

"I'm missing something, Blaine," Cooper told him, sounding confused. "Were you ever not?"

"He's just so beautiful," he gushed, "but we can only be friends."

"Is there another guy or..?"

"No," Blaine replied hastily, before saying, "well, not exactly."

"I'm not following," Cooper said.

"He just really needs a friend right now," Blaine explained, "we can just be friends."

"Care to elaborate, B?" Cooper asked his brother.

"I went to McKinley today," Blaine told him.

"Do I even want to ask why?"

"He has this football player making his life hell," Blaine began, "and I told Kurt to confront him, to call him out. Well he did, yesterday, but they were alone and the guy kissed him."

"_What_!" Cooper exclaimed.

"Yeah," Blaine confirmed, "so I drove to McKinley and we confronted him together in a more public area and- he was so broken, Coop. That was his first kiss."

"So you won't ask the guy out due to lack of experience?" Cooper asked, sounding astonished. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, little bro, but you're not exactly a ladies' mad. Or, fellas' man."

"Shut up, Coop," Blaine snapped, "I just mean he needs a friend. Not a boyfriend."

"Do you think you can do that?"

"I can try."

"I'm proud of you, Blaine," Cooper said, "you're doing a good thing."

"Thanks."

"Well listen, B," Cooper started, "I'm supposed to go out for my friend's 25th birthday tonight, so I'm going to have to let you go."

"Oh," Blaine said sounding a little disappointed, "okay."

"You know you can call me anytime, though, right?"

"Yeah," Blaine said. "Thanks, Cooper."

"Don't mention it," Cooper said, "but if you want to thank me you are more than welcome to come do my laundry this-"

"Bye, Cooper," Blaine spat, hanging up the phone.

He could do this. They could just be friends. It couldn't be that hard. At least he didn't have to see him every day. He could handle just being Kurt's friend, his mentor. This wouldn't be hard.


	7. AN

Hey guys. Sorry if you think this another update. I'm having trouble writing non-canon Cooper now. I'm going to try and update this until it's finished completely (around New York), but they will probably be few and far between. I didn't forget about this, I just lost my inspiration.

-Mary Claire


	8. Open Threat

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long! I have such a hard time deviating from canon when I'm not writing a legitimate AU. I hope to get a few more chapters out, though! I'm aiming for about 12, but that's still up in the air. I hope you like this chapter!**

****I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING YOU RECOGNIZE**

Blaine was lying in bed reading the newest John Green book when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and quickly slid his thumb across the screen to answer the call.

"Hey!" Blaine greeted Kurt cheerfully through the phone.

"_Blaine_," Kurt croaked; he had been crying.

Blaine shot up straight in bed. "Kurt," he said, "what's wrong?"

"He- I," Kurt cried. "_Blaine._"

"Shh," Blaine cooed, "calm down. Are you home?"

"Y-yeah, but-"

"No, shh," Blaine cut him off, "I'll be there in twenty." Blaine had already pulled his coat on and grabbed his wallet and keys before hanging up. He didn't both telling his parents he was leaving; even if they noticed they probably wouldn't care. He jumped in his car and began his trek towards Lima, ignoring almost every speed limit put in place.

XXX

Kurt was sitting at the bottom of the stairs staring down at his fumbling hands in his new house when the doorbell rang. He stood up slowly, still shaking, and opened the door revealing a very red-faced Blaine Anderson. Almost instantly, he was engulfed in a tight hug from the other boy.

When Blaine pulled back, he kept his hands on Kurt's shoulders and looked into his new friend's eyes.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I can't-," Kurt began, stumbling over his words, "I don't want to talk about it here."

"Where's your room?" Blaine asked him. The boy led him up the stairs to his bedroom, closing the door behind them.

"Will you tell me what happened?" Blaine asked again. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but I just want to know that you're okay."

"He- I- _Blaine_," Kurt gasped. He fell onto his bed, fresh sobs wracking through his body.

The bed dipped beside Kurt as Blaine sat down next to him, pulling Kurt against his chest. Kurt's arms curled around Blaine's waist as he cried in the Warbler's arms.

"Shh," Blaine comforted, rubbing circles through Kurt's shirt, "shh, Kurt, it's going to be okay. Whatever it is, it's going to be fine."

"B-Blaine, he- he s-said," Kurt stuttered, cutting himself off as more tears began to slide down his cheeks.

"Who is 'he,' Kurt?"

Kurt sniffled, wiping at his eyes and trying to fight back a fresh wave of tears threatening to escape. When he had finally caught his breath, he sat up, not letting go of Blaine, and looked down at his lap.

"K-Karofsky," he managed to get out, blinking back tears again.

Blaine's heart rate sped up at the mention of the jock. What else could he have done after stealing Kurt's first kiss? No, he didn't want to think about it. Before Blaine had a chance to say anything, however, Kurt continued.

"He said if I," Kurt said, taking shallows breaths between each word, "he said if I told anyone he would ki-," Kurt lost it just thinking about what the neanderthal had said. He started shaking in Blaine's arms, not even trying to hold back his tears anymore.

"Shh," Blaine repeated, "shh, it's okay. Calm down, it's okay. Talk to me, I'll make it okay. Shh."

Kurt continued to cry for a few minutes, Blaine just rubbing circle into the small of his back. Blaine held his friend, letting him cry it out. It broke his heart to see Kurt like this. So fragile, so shattered. When he could hear Kurt sniffling a little, trying to even out his breathing, Blaine pulled back a little and scooted back on the bed. He pulled Kurt toward him, pressing his friend's back into his chest. He just held him there until Kurt spoke up again.

Completely lacking any emotion, Kurt whispered, "He said if I told anyone he was going to kill me."

Blaine shot straight up, jostling Kurt just a little. His face was bright red, and he was clenching and unclenching his fists.

"What?" he demanded.

Kurt just stared at him, a slight flicker of fear in his eyes.

"Kurt," Blaine addressed him, almost yelling, "are you serious?"

"Why would I joke about something like that?"

"Are you- did you-," Blaine started, not being able to find any words, "have you told anybody yet?"

"I can't exactly do that," Kurt snapped, "can I?"

"No," Blaine said, "no, you have to tell somebody. Your dad or-"

As if on cue, a loud rumbling echoed from the garage, signaling his father's arrival. Blaine turned towards Kurt's door, wrenching it open and bounding into the hall.

Kurt shot up out of bed and ran after his friend.

"Blaine!" he shouted. "Blaine, no! Stop." He pulled on Blaine's arm and stopped him just before he descended the stairs.

"Kurt," Blaine said, "I'm telling your dad. You have to let him-"

"No," Kurt cut in, "I- I'll tell someone, okay? Principal Figgins or Mr. Shue, but _not my dad._ His heart can't handle that, Blaine."

"Kurt, I-"

"I promise," Kurt assured him, "I'll tell somebody, but please don't make me tell my dad. Please."

Blaine sighed knowing this wasn't the kind of thing to keep from parents, but in the end he relented. "Okay," he told Kurt.

"Thank you," Kurt said as he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Do you, uh, want to stay for dinner?" Kurt asked, face flushing a little.

"I should probably head home," Blaine responded, "homework, you know.."

"Yeah," Kurt said, "sure, I understand."

Blaine stepped closer, pulling Kurt in for another tight squeeze.

"Call me if you need me, okay?"

"I will," Kurt said, smiling, "thank you. For everything."

Blaine turned on his heel, descended the stairs, and walked right out the front door to his car. He slammed the driver's side door shut and let out a loud yell. He was furious. Nobody should be allowed to do that. Nobody should be allowed to do that to _Kurt._ He began the drive back to his house in silence, not really in the mood for any upbeat music blasting through the speakers.

XXX

"Cooper, something big happened," Blaine said into the phone that night when he had gotten home from Kurt's.

"Just be there for him, little bro."

"How did you know I was talking about Kurt?" Blaine asked, confused.

"What else do you ever talk about?" Cooper countered, laughing at his brother's obliviousness.


	9. Dalton

**A/N: Sorry this is so short. I hope you enjoy it regardless!**

****I OWN NOTHING YOU RECOGNIZE (which is pretty much all of it, whoops!).**

"I'm coming to Dalton."

Blaine had been awoken by his very shrill ringtone. He hastily answered his phone with a muffled hello and was instantly greeted with big news.

Recognizing the voice and understanding what had just been said, Blaine shot straight out of bed.

"What?" he asked, not entirely sure he had heard correctly.

"I'm transferring to Dalton," Kurt repeated. "I start on Monday."

"Wait," Blaine said, "_what!_"

"Karofsky," Kurt said as if it was the answer to all of Blaine's questions.

"I'm confused," the Warbler said around a yawn, rubbing his eyes awake.

"You know my dad got married, right?" Kurt asked.

"What does that have anything to do with anything?"

"I was giving him and Finn dance lessons in the choir room," Kurt explained, "and Karofsky walked by and made a small gesture. My dad saw and asked what was going on. Finn threatened to tell my dad if I didn't, so I told him Karofsky had been harassing me. They both knew there was something I wasn't saying, so I had to tell my dad, Blaine. He was so mad. He got Figgins to suspend him but the school board overturned it and he's coming back."

Blaine could hear tears in the other boy's voice by the time he had finished explaining.

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine cooed. "What can I do?"

"Nothing, Blaine," Kurt sighed. "It's done. Dad and Carole are using their honeymoon money to pay for Dalton. I've withdrawn from McKinley. I start on Monday."

"I'm sorry, Kurt," Blaine started, "I know how much your dad to find out. I know how much you're going to miss McKinley. Dalton's just gained a fantastic new student, though. Are you going to join the Warblers?"

"I think so," Kurt replied, "I don't really know anybody at Dalton besides you, so it will be nice to make some friends."

"Well we would all love to have you."

"Yeah," Kurt trailed off.

"Are you going to be okay?" Blaine asked. "What are you doing today?"

"I'll be fine," Kurt told him. "Carole is going to drop me off at McKinley to clear out my locker today, but then we're going to get a few things for my dorm at Dalton."

"Oh!" Blaine exclaimed. "So you're going to board here, too?"

"It was actually Dad's idea," Kurt explained. "Says it will save on gas during the week."

"That makes sense."

"Hey, I have to go," Kurt said regretfully. "I just wanted to call and let you be the first to know. Finn doesn't even know yet, actually."

"Thanks for calling me, Kurt," Blaine told him. "You can call me any time, okay?"

"I know. Thanks, Blaine."

Blaine heard the little click signalling that the call had ended. He rolled over in his blankets, planting his face in his pillow. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about this. On one hand, Kurt was hurting. His life had been threatened and the school couldn't fix it. He was having to leave his friends, his family, his home. On the other hand, however, he was coming to Dalton. Where Blaine was. And he would be boarding at Dalton. With Blaine. Blaine internally scolded himself for being excited. He had to be Kurt's friend, nothing more. He needed a friend right now.

Rolling back over in his bed, Blaine picked up his phone and dialled a familiar number.

"Hullo?" the muffled voice came from the other end.

"Coop," Blaine said excitedly, "wake up."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yes," Blaine said. "So wake up."

"What is it, little brother?" Cooper groaned.

"Kurt is coming to Dalton."

"You called me at this ungodly early hour to tell me about one of your play dates?" Cooper bit out. "I'm going back to sleep."

"No, Coop, wait," Blaine spit out. "I mean he's _coming_ to Dalton. He's transferring here."

"Congratulations, B," Cooper said through a yawn. "Now can I please go back to sleep?"

"Fine," Blaine sighed. "Bye, Coop."

Blaine could hear light snores coming from the other end of the phone. He chuckled to himself before ending the call and getting up to get ready for his day of classes. _Your last day of classes without Kurt_, he thought. Smiling to himself, he was ready in record time, so he decided to lay back on his bed and text Kurt until he had to go to breakfast.

**As always, feel more than welcome to review! If you're feeling really bold, come talk to me on Tumblr! My URL is .com !**


End file.
